Teacher Iconio Mobrici, centre, shares a pleasant moment with colleague Anna-Maria Pastore, left, PICAI Centre director Romolo Chiarella, right, and a parent at a recent registration session held at Laval Junior Junior High School, the venue for the Italian courses which began September 22. The PICAI Italian Program serving the western part of Laval island, also includes on its teaching staff Fiorenza Capitanio, Elvira Gallo, Olimpia Guerriero, and Cristina Teoli. Registrations for anyone of Italian origin, ages kindergarten to secondary for the youth division and 18 plus for the adult section, continue Saturday mornings, 9:00 am to noon, at 3200 Souvenir Road, in Chomedey.
(Photo: Maya)
It's effective, it's affordable and best of all it's fun
PICAI Italian courses underway
Romolo Chiarella and Iconio Mobrici are a couple of enthusiastic educators for whom a classroom is a window to the world, a place for children of Italian origin to explore the roots of their culture, language and traditions through a multidimensional program of activities that range from art to music to film and beyond, including sports and other forms of popular entertainment.
Their classrooms, however, are not your daily centres of reading, writing, and arithmentic that proliferate throughout our system of education, both public and private. They are, instead, a weekly celebration of everything that's enriching and enduring in the culture that has been exported from the Italian peninsula to the rest of the world since Marco Polo, Cristofaro Colombo, Giovanni Caboto, Amerigo Vespucci, and Giovanni de Verrazano, among many others, travelled to all corners of the planet.
"Through the PICAI program of Italian, we offer children and adults the precious opportunity to delve into their cultural roots, which for some of them are fresh but which for others stretch far back into several generations, their ancestors having set foot in Canada and Quebec as long ago as the turn of the 20th century," explained professor Chiarella, director of the PICAI Centre operating on Saturday mornings out of Laval Junior High School and serving the western portion of the island. Two other PICAI Centres serve Italian families on Laval island, one in the east in Duvernay, the other in the north in Auteuil.
"We use a multidimensional approach to learning the language," specifies Iconio Mobrici, who has taught at the western centre for several years. "Regardless of where the person is at, beginner, intermediate or advanced, we provide extensive opportunities for people of all ages to improve and enhance their grasp of the language. We spare no amount of energy and enthusiasm in developing and implementing a variety of strategies to foster a love and appreciation of the Italian language and culture. And it's definitely a fun experience," Mr. Mobrici summed up in an interview with Courrier Laval Weekly News.
Listening intently to his key teacher's explanation, director Chiarella elabotated on the mission of the PICAI Program. "We were originally
established to provide cultural aid to Italian immigrants, but in the last few decades we have moved on to providing services for people of Italian origin several generations removed from immigrant status, and we are very happy to say that the program is working wonders for everyone participating in it," Mr. Chiarella noted, clearly endorsing Mr. Mobrici's enthusiastic take on what the program offers.
Interested in learning Italian?
"We have five other teachers on staff who are ready to welcome you to their classes. We are here, we are organized for action, we are staffed with high-quality, qualified, highly-motivated professionals, we are very affordable, and we are successful in helping people from kindergarten to adult learn Italian, but we need to reach more people who not only qualify for admission but who would benefit immensely from the PICAI program," Mr. Chiarella admitted, by way of invitation to anyone of Italian origin residing in the western portion of Laval to explore the possibilities offered by the PICAI Program.
Open to those of Italian origin ages kindergarten and up, the PICAI program is subsidized in part by the Italian government as a service to families of Italian origin who live outside the peninsula.
The program, which runs from September to April, is taught by fully qualified and experienced teachers who have a long tradition of quality instruction behind them. These educators use the latest pedagogical methods to involve their students in the active pursuit of enhancing their language skills.
Although it is sponsored by the Italian government, PICAI is responsible for the financial management of the program and as such asks for registration fees of $180 for adults, $95 for first child/student and $85 for each subsequent family member.
Please note that although all courses for children have begun, and those for adults begin this coming Saturday, October 6, all classes may be joined in progress for the next several weeks, with registrations accepted Saturday mornings, 9:00 am to noon.
The youth division of the program, geared for high school students, provides Quebec Ministry of Education credits upon successful completion of the required course of studies.
The venue for the registrations and courses which serve the western end of Laval island is Laval Junior High School, 3200 Souvenir Road in Chomedey. For more detailed information, please call director Romolo Chiarella at (514) 249-4967.
Photo:Pica
(Photo: Maya)
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